Toyota’s brand and messaging have sadly fallen victim to Newton’s law about an object in motion. Its long-running ad campaign promises that its cars keep “Moving You Forward.” Turns out, they keep moving you forward because their faulty accelerators and brakes won’t let you stop.

The impact these recalls will have on the Toyota brand could be significant. Toyotas have become symbols of quality and value from a company with a strong reputation for corporate responsibility. This week’s events and revelations clearly cast a dark shadow.

What may be an even tougher blow to Toyota is that one of the vehicles involved in this fiasco is the Prius – the beloved hybrid vehicle innovator and long a beacon of more sustainable, more eco-friendly automobiles.

Sustainable products continually fight the brand baggage of being perceived as potentially lower performing. Add to that the premium (though steadily decreasing) cost of the Prius and you have a recipe for a crap sandwich. Costs more. Does less. It’s a lethal enough combination for a traditional automobile (or any product for that matter), and doubly deadly for a “green” one.

I’m curious to see how this will unfold and how Toyota will respond – and if the Prius may lose its position atop the auto hybrid ladder. What do you think?